£100,000 for war memorial restoration

Saturday 22 February 2014

Communities from Shetland to Dumfries and Galloway will share a pot of more than £100,000 to restore war memorials as part of the Scottish Government's WWI commemoration programme.

First Minister Alex Salmond today announced that £103,535 will being awarded to ten memorials across Scotland. These are:

Glasgow City: Kelvingrove Park (£26,250) and Gorbals (£4,500)

Edinburgh City: Leith (£6,672)

Dumfries and Galloway: Moffat (£1,728) and Kirkconnel (£3,375)

Fife: Cupar (£17,901)

Stirling: Stirling city centre (£29,853)

East Lothian: Crookston near Wallyford (£2,115)

Highland: Creich near Bonar Bridge in Sutherland (£10,693)

Shetland Islands: Fair Isle (£448)

The Centenary Memorials Fund has helped 13 projects so far and applications can still be made to help the repair and conservation Scotland's war memorials. The £1 million fund is a central part of the Scottish Government programme commemorating the centenary of WWI.

The First Minister said:

"Scotland, in common with so many other nations, suffered an appalling loss of life in the Great War, and its effects on Scottish life were profound and long-lasting.

"Scotland's war memorials are a lasting tribute to fallen service men and women and it is hugely important that they are maintained. We owe it to the names inscribed on these memorials as well as the families they've left behind to keep monuments in a proud condition, reflecting the respect they deserve.

"War monuments play a central role in educating our young people about the ultimate sacrifice members of their community have paid in conflicts throughout the generations.

"I am delighted to announce more than £100,000 to repair and preserve our war memorials and I would encourage more communities all over Scotland to apply to the Centenary Memorials Restoration Fund to help keep these monuments a central and permanent reminder of fallen service men and women now and for generations."